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I went in expecting an over-sugared gingerbread house of a romantic comedy but forgot this was British and written by Emma Thompson and partner Greg Wise. It’s fun and witty and the Christmas theme is front and centre, as is the always delightful music of George Michael that weaves a spell throughout. Continue reading
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Nicolas Cage, you seem to have made your way out the other side of the Hollywood leading man stereotype and into something rather delightful. Continue reading
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Hirokazu Kore-Eda has crafted a deceptively complex story within a film that feels as airy as a soufflé. Continue reading
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I’m sure there will be a growing number of Hollywood films made that show how the oppression of women is being acknowledged and ‘fixed’ (the trailer for Miss Behaviour (2020) looks like a particularly heavy-handed girl power movie that ticks all the boxes). Bombshell does a fair job, despite its awful title.* Continue reading
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I’ll declare a bias upfront: I’m a Taika Waititi fan. From Boy (2010) and Eagle vs. Shark (2007) to What We Do in the Shadows (2014) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), his dry, droll, irreverent humour never fails to win me over. He even made a superhero movie watchable with Thor: Ragnarok (2017) mostly not taking itself too seriously. Continue reading
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Memories of reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott are distant. I remember feisty Jo and the warm and chaotic March family, full of charity for the poor and hopes for the future. Continue reading
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Don’t forget the full stop. Emma is my least favourite of Jane Austen’s novels (other than the superlative adaptation Clueless (1995). This remake by Autumn de Wilde is nicely staged with beautiful sets, clothes and a humorous thread of caricature and it mostly surmounts the biggest challenge of the story – that the eponymous character is not very likeable. Continue reading
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This psychological thriller compellingly portrays the reality of toxic relationships and doesn’t let up from start to end. Continue reading
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My comfort food is mashed potato and gravy, which is not a bad analogy for (Full Monty (1997)) Peter Cattaneo’s choir-based feel-good movie. It’s warm and predictable with just enough flavour to keep it interesting. The beats are predictable, the ending assured, the tissues needed, but the performances of leads Sharon Horgan and Kristin Scott Thomas elevate it to something more. Continue reading
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Having just watched Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Crashing (2016) (available on Netflix), I am now a big fan of her vulnerable, heartfelt comedy. The two seasons of her TV show Fleabag (2016-17) are on my to-watch-list, delayed only by the need to purchase them. It seemed apt to see the one person show that began Fleabag’s story and thank goodness for Cinema Nova for screening National Theatre live versions of hit shows, including this one. Continue reading
